


Christmas Wish

by Alya_Selene



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Autism Spectrum, Child Abuse, I'm Bad At Summaries, Nightmares, Sad with a Happy Ending, Severus Snape Adopts Harry Potter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-10 05:53:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17420312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alya_Selene/pseuds/Alya_Selene
Summary: Harry Potter makes a wish on Christmas Eve. He wants a family to love him. Will his wish be granted?





	Christmas Wish

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language.  
> I know that it's not Christmas anymore, but I had this idea and I couldn't wait until Christmas to write and post it.  
> This story contains two points of view (Severus' and Harry's).

Harry was alone in his cupboard under the stairs. It was Christmas Eve and yet, the five years old boy knew that he would, once again, spend Christmas among the spiders and the beetles. It had become a regular thing for him. And this night, like all the nights on Christmas Eve, he would hope that someone, anyone, would save him and take him away from his aunt and uncle, from the starvation and the beatings. If one guardian angel could save him. He closed his eyes, hoping that, when he would wake up, his wish would have come true.

While Harry was sleeping, a dour man answering to the name of Severus Snape was cursing every child on Earth so that they might stop ringing the doorbell to sing Christmas Carols. Christmas always brought up memories he wished to forget. Memories of his unhappy childhood with his drunk father and his mother. He could remember the screams which had filled this house, they had never been screams of joy. He went to bed, knowing that tomorrow would only bring screaming children on the streets.

On the morning of Christmas Day, Severus woke up as grumpy as ever. He took a quick shower and then drank a cup of coffee, hoping that this blasted day of celebration will finally end. He was brought back to reality by the incessant noise made by an owl knocking on the only window of his kitchen. He opened the window and took the piece of paper attached to the leg of the bird. The owl flew away, clearly not waiting for an answer. He opened the paper and started to read.

 

“ _Mister Severus Snape, Lord of the House of Prince,_

_We have tried to get in touch with you for the past three months, but it seems that you have not received any of our letters. It has come to our attention that the wills of James Potter and Lily Potter (née Evans) have been sealed upon their deaths without being read. By doing so, we discovered things someone had tried to hide. Which is why, when your reading of the present letter will be over, you will be transported to Gringotts._

_Sincerly,_

_Griphook.”_

 

Just as the letter had said, Severus found himself being transported somewhere else, presumably Gringotts.

Meanwhile, just like every morning, Harry was woken up by his uncle banging on the door of his cupboard. The boy knew he would have to make breakfast for the family and also that he was not invited to share the meal with them. After all, he was just a _freak_. This morning was not different from the others so he had to guess that, once again, his Christmas wish had not been granted. He got beaten because the eggs weren't as cooked as Uncle Vernon wanted them and also because he spilled Aunt Petunia's tea on the old carpet of the kitchen. Once breakfast was over, they made him watch his cousin Dudley open his numerous gifts, knowing that Harry would not have a single gift, then they threw him in the cupboard again and locked the door. He could feel his shirt sticking to his back because of the fresh blood on it. He could guess that his nose was bleeding as well because he could feel something hot and wet run past his lips and drop on the floor with a _plop_.

Visibly unhappy to be summoned like this, Severus stormed in Griphook's office who obviously knew how the Potion Master would react.

 

“Lord Prince. It seems that our letters finally reached you. I can assure you that this is something of the utmost importance, otherwise I would not have summoned you on Christmas Day.” the goblin gave Severus a toothy smile.

“Quit the niceties. Why did you summon me?”

“As I said in the letter, we discovered that the wills of James and Lily Potter have been sealed after their deaths, without being read. When we opened we discovered a lot of interesting informations. But maybe that it would be better if you were to listen to them yourself.”

 

The goblin put two strange orbs on his desk and waited for the wizard to touch one of them. As he did so, a male voice filled the room.

“ _I, James Potter, swear that I made this will without compulsion. If you listen to this, then it means that I am dead. With Voldemort chasing us, it was only a matter of time. Sirius was not our Secret Keeper, it was Peter. With Sirius we thought that it could be a good idea to make people think that we had chosen Sirius as he was the obvious choice. Also, whoever you are, be careful about Albus Dumbledore. While the man is on the side of the Light, he also has tendency to do what will bring him more advantages. He is the one who told us to go and live in Godric's Hollows while we were safe and protected in the manor owned by my family. He believes that Harry is the child of the prophecy, but in fact it could be anyone born at the end of July. I think the Longbottoms might be in danger as well, but I am unsure about who the threat is. They refused to leave their manor and Dumbledore didn't seem happy about it. And we know how involved they are in the fight against Voldemort and the Death Eaters. If something happens to them, please, look for answers. Now, if Lily and I happen to die, we do not wish for Harry's care to be given to people who will not love him. We don't want him to be given to Lily's sister, she would not love him because she hates magic. Remus, my friend, I don't want to make your life harder which is why you are simply listed as Harry's godfather. Sirius, my brother, I know you would take care of Harry as if he was your own son, which is why you are the second person on our list to take care of Harry if we were to die. The first person will surprise everyone, especially the person concerned. If you are the one listening to this, know that I am sorry. I have wronged you and turned your teenage years into hell. It saddens me to realise that it is only now, after seven years of harrassment, that I understand how wrong my actions were. Severus Snape, I am sorry for everything I did to you. Lily and I talked about this and we think that you are the most qualified to become Harry's new father. So mote it be.”_

 

Severus was surprised to discover that his former nemesis had chosen him to become his son's guardian and new parent. He touched the second orb and Lily's voice filled the air.

 

“ _I, Lily Potter née Evans, swear that I made this will without compulsion. If you listen to this, then it means that I am dead. As you might have heard James' will just before, I will skip the part about Dumbledore, the Secret Keeper, Voldemort. I will go straight to the point. I don't want Harry to be placed with my sister because I know that she will not love him. She hated me as soon as she knew I was a witch. She hated me because she could not be like me, she had no power. If Harry ends up in her care, who knows what she'll do to him. Remus, being a werewolf, it would be difficult for him to take care of a young child. Sirius, you're a good man, but you're still a child inside, which is why you're only the second on the list to become Harry's new parent. Severus, my dear friend. I know that we were never able to overcome our fight during our fifth year and it pains me to know that we never managed to see past this event. Now I am dead and we will never be able to talk again. I will never be able to tell you that I am sorry. I should have given you a second chance. I gave a second chance to James, but never one to you. And it is not because of this that we decided to give Harry to your care. We decided that if we were to die, Harry would become your son because you are the best to fulfill this role. We want our son to be loved but also to be taught that we can all make mistakes and yet try to make up to the ones we hurt. You made mistakes and you are still trying to make things right. But you have to go forward. And I think Harry will help you. You are a good man, Severus Snape. You need to start believing in you. So mote it be.”_

 

“Now, we made some researches before we called you. It seems that Albus Dumbledore asked the former manager of the Potter's fortune to seal the wills. We dealt with this goblin according to our laws and during his trial he revealed that the Potter heir had been placed with his aunt and uncle. He said that the Headmaster placed him there so that he would have the perfect puppet to use once the Dark Lord was back.”

“Do you mean that he is currently living with Petunia? With Lily's sister?”

“Yes, we checked this information and it is correct. We arranged the papers beforehand so that you could adopt Harry Potter now, formally. If you and Harry wish to make a blood adoption, making him your son by blood as well as by name, you will need to come back after you retrieved the child from his current location. We don't know how he is treated nor can we enter this house. We barely saw the boy. You will have to go there and bring him back here if you want to perform a blood adoption.”

“Do you have the address?”

“Yes, they live in the Number 4, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey.”

 

Severus stood up and left the office without a word, Lily's words still present in his mind. She believed in him, she trusted him to take care of her son in case something happened to her. She was right, he needed to make things right. He would take care of Harry.

Harry was sleepy. He had lost a lot of blood. Maybe that his uncle had been more violent this time, too much. He was laying on his small mattress, trying not to move as everything hurt. He heard some noises coming from outside his cupboard, but there was a buzzing noise in his head which made it impossible for him to hear. He saw a shadow in front of his cupboard's door and hugged his legs, hoping that it wasn't his uncle coming for a second round. After a few seconds, the door opened and Harry could see nothing but a black curtain. Suddenly, the curtain moved and the face of a man appeared. He seemed angry and it made Harry crawl away from him. The man seemed to soften and knelt in front of him.

 

“Harry? My name is Severus. I am here to take you away from this place. Would you like that?”

 

Harry nodded slowly, the movement making him dizzy, and he edged towards the man. He was carefully taken into the man's arms and he passed out.

Severus was angry. He had no words to express his rage. Harry was so small and so weak. He looked like a three years old child and he was frail. Worse, his back seemed wet, as if... As if he was bleeding! He gritted his teeth and apparated away, to Gringotts. As if he had known he was coming, Griphook was waiting for him. He led him to a strange room and ordered him to lay Harry in the middle of it before making him leave the room.

 

“Do not worry Lord Prince, this room will simply heal Mister Potter. It will not be painful for him.”

 

They waited for two hours until they were told that they could go back inside. Harry was awake and scared. He ran to Severus and hugged the man's legs, visibly scared by the goblins. Severus couldn't prevent his cold and bitter heart to warm at the thought that Harry barely knew him and yet, trusted him. He took the boy in his arms and tried to reassure him.

 

“Harry, you don't have to be scared. They are goblins. They healed you and they will help you again if you want to.”

“They did?”

“Yes. And if you want, I could be your father, your dad.”

“My dad? You want to be my dad?”

“Only if you'll allow me to.”

“But why? I'm a freak...”

“You're not a freak, you are a wizard. You are a child and you deserve to be happy. I'm giving you a chance to start over, to have a family. I want to be your dad, I want you to let me love you. Would you like that?”

“Yes!”

 

The goblins brought them the potion to make the blood adoption and they added their blood in the vial. Harry drank the potion, making a face as its taste was obviously foul, and his face started to change as it became longer and his complexion turned to a closer imitation of Severus' face. His emerald eyes darkened until they reached a deep forest green color. He seemed to become taller, gaining a few inches. The goblins gave him a miror and Harry smiled.

“I look like you! Are you my dad now?”

“Yes, I am your dad.”

“Can I call you dad?”

“Of course Harry, I _am_ your dad now so you can call me dad.”

“Thank you dad!”

 

Harry rushed to Severus and hugged his legs before the dark-haired took him in his arms. Harry's Christmas wish had been granted. Deep down, he knew that, from now on, he would be loved and that his dad would never let him down.

 

* * *

 

 

Almost six years later, a lot of things had changed. Dumbledore's plans had been uncovered and he had been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in Azkaban for leaving Harry in the care of his aunt and uncle, knowing that they would abuse him and wanting to use this abuse to mold him into the Savior he wanted. He had also used some of the money stored in Harry's vaults to cover his own expenses and to pay some people. They had discovered that it was to achieve this goal that he had sealed the wills of Lily and James Potter, that he had not pushed for the tenure of a trial for Sirius Black. Knowing that the man was innocent, Severus had asked Lucius Malfoy to help him so he could get the man out of Azkaban. It had been hard, but he had managed to do it. The man was currently going through a therapy.

Concerning Harry, now named Hadrian, it had been harder than Severus had thought at the beginning. He had almost given up more than once, not knowing how to deal with the child's nightmares and his fears. The boy had clearly been traumatised by Petunia and her husband. At first, when someone tried to touch him, he would flinch and shy away from people. Sometimes, he would just stay still for hours and not say a word, staring into space. It took years to Severus to manage to fully gain Hadrian's trust, even if the boy saw him as his father. When he had received his Hogwarts letter, Severus could not forget Hadrian's meltdown. It had been like going back to the beginning. Hadrian would once again call himself a freak and flinch if he were to be touched by someone, even by Severus. It took him a month or two to understand that he was normal, that it was normal to be a wizard.

Severus had discovered that Hadrian had autism spectrum disorders. He could barely be touched by people, even if they were not strangers. There were colours and textures he could not bear to touch or see. He had an eidetic memory, he could remember entire pages of books, he knew the names of most potions and potion ingredients and he could tell Severus the entire receipe of most of the potions the man taught. He had warned his son about the proceedings of the Sorting, about the Sorting Hat who would talk inside of his head. With the help of Minerva he had introduced Hadrian to the Hat and tried to explain why he had to go through this. Fortunately, Hadrian seemed to like the Hat and could often be seen in Minerva's office, as she had been appointed Headmistress by the Board of Governors, with the Hat on his head. Due to Hadrian's autism, everything had been done so that he would be able to stay with his dad, Severus, during the weekends while he would spend the rest of the week in the dorm, with people who could be trusted. Severus was stressed by the Sorting, not knowing how Hadrian would react to a room full of strangers. He had told him to stay either with Neville Longbottom or with Draco Malfoy, knowing that both boys would help him and protect him if needed.

When the time came, Severus decided to keep Hadrian with him until his name was called so that he could distract him if he sensed that Hadrian was in distress. During the Sorting, he didn't seem bothered by the number of people around him and Severus started to relax.

 

“Hadrian Snape.”

 

Hadrian got up and sat on the stool next to Minerva who placed the Sorting Hat on his head.

 

“ _Hadrian, do you remember what I am going to do?”_

“ _Yes, you will scan my head and put me in one of the four houses.”_

“ _Good. Now, let me see. Yes, you are a very creative child, and you are clever.”_

“ _I love books.”_

“ _Your father told me that you knew every potions.”_

“ _Dad is wrong, I don't know all of them. The potions of four books.”_

“ _You are also loyal, open-minded and brave. But I think that I know where you will go. And I know that it is also where you want to go.”_

“ _I want to be with my dad.”_

“ _Better be_ SLYTHERIN!”

 

Hadrian ran to his dad, scared by the other students applauding, and Severus held his son against his chest. He knew this would be hard, but he also knew that his son was stubborn. If someone could do this, it was him.

 


End file.
